Joel Embiid to miss remainder of Sixers season due to knee issues, team officials announce
With Joel Embiid out for season, fans describe impact
Now that Joel Embiid is out of the 76ers lineup for the rest of the season, fans remark on how that impacts their hopes for a better draft position and thoughts on following seasons.
PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia 76ers have announced Joel Embiid will miss the rest of the season due to issues with his left knee.
What we know:
Officials with the Philadelphia 76ers have announced that Joel Embiid will miss the rest of the 2024 – 2025 season because he is still dealing with concerns over his left knee.
Embiid has been consulting with many specialists over the course of the last several days regarding his knee and based on the medical advice it was determined he isn’t healthy enough to continue with the season.
The backstory:
A two-time NBA scoring champion, Embiid has been hobbled by injuries all season, and served a three-game suspension for shoving a member of the media. He’s averaged 23.8 points — he averaged at least 30 and won two scoring titles the last three seasons — and scored only 29 points combined in his last two games.
Embiid acknowledged earlier this month he may have to undergo another surgery on the left knee.
"I think the straightforward answer is that when you’ve got something that’s inconsistent, at some point, you’ve got to do something about it," Embiid said. "We don’t know what it is. We’re looking into every option."
He played just 39 games last season due to a torn meniscus in his left knee. The 76ers announced in early February of that season that he had undergone surgery. Embiid came back in early April, was part of the 76ers’ playoff run, and then won a gold medal with the U.S. Olympic team last year at the Paris Games.
Embiid has played only 58 regular-season games and seven play-in tournament/playoff games since he earned NBA MVP honors in the 2022-23 season.
Big picture view:
One of the preseason favorites to contend for an NBA title, the Sixers take a nine-game losing streak into Saturday's game against the Warriors. Even with the heavy slide, the Sixers were just 2 1/2 games out of a spot in the play-in tournament entering Friday's NBA games, giving the team something to cling to, even as — no matter the outcome of the testing — they'll chase a playoff a spot without a healthy Embiid.
What's next:
Team officials are still working with health experts to find a treatment plan that gets Embiid to a healthy status.
The 76ers’ first-round pick is top-six protected or else it goes to the Oklahoma City Thunder, one reason there was speculation the Sixers might shut down Embiid and cut their losses on the season.
The Source: Information for this article was gathered from the Philadelphia 76ers and the Associated Press.